


Bombay

by Alinaskeys



Category: Apex Legends (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-11-12 21:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alinaskeys/pseuds/Alinaskeys
Summary: It was the last night before the Apex Games, and Elliott Witt just wanted flirt with pretty women and get wasted. Little did he know that the girl he was flirting with would become his teammate.





	1. Two shots of Bombay

It was a late night and the bar was buzzing. Everyone there was trying to get plastered one last time before the Apex game began the next day. Elliott was no different; he sat slouched in his bar-stool over the rum in front of him. He downed his drink and slammed the empty glass on the counter, raising his hand for another. The bartender saw him, nodded, and began making him another drink, giving him time to look around.

Elliott didn’t know the name of the bar he was in, but the purpose of going there definitely wasn’t to know the surroundings. The Apex Games were tomorrow, and not only would Elliott be randomly assigned his teammates, but he would also be the returning champion, making him the primary target for every other squad. He gulped, his thoughts wandering towards the next day’s possibilities, causing him to shudder.

As though his silent prayers were heard, the bartender reluctantly placed another rum next to the four other empty glasses, giving Elliott a slight look of concern. Before he could contemplate his actions, he took a long swig of the drink and closed his eyes, trying to convince himself that tomorrow wouldn’t be so bad.

“This seat taken?” called a voice to Elliott’s right. He barely glanced over before downing the rest of the drink and turning towards the stranger. To his surprise, a pale girl stood next to him, probably only a few inches shorter than him. He scanned her up and down, quickly noticing the bright blue of her eyes. He hair dark hair was tied in a messy top bun, and she wore a long sleeve t-shirt and jeans. Casual, yet formal, somehow.

“Nope.” Elliott motioned towards the seat, prompting her to sit down. She climbed onto it faced away from the bar, looking around the room and scanning the hundred or so people shouting over the loud music. Elliott looked at her through his peripheral vision, trying not to let her know he was staring.

“You gonna get a drink or just watch?” He asked, finally working up the confidence to talk to her. She turned her head to him, eyeing him. He felt her gaze pierce through him, but he didn’t back down. They stared at each other for a few seconds before she looked behind her at the wall of drinks, most likely contemplating what to get. Before she could decide, Elliott quickly shot has hand out and called toward the bartender.

“Two shots of Bombay!” The girl turned to him, raising an eyebrow. The bartender nodded, and after a few seconds the drinks clinked to the wood of the bar. Elliott slid the second glass towards her, holding the first.

“It’s on me.” He quipped, offering a smile towards her. The girl looked between the drink and Elliott a few times before turning towards the bar and downing it in one gulp.

“Thanks.” Her voice was cold as ice, but Elliott could tell that the thank you was genuine. She has this air to her that he couldn’t distinguish, but it sure as hell distracted him from the thoughts of tomorrow.

“So, you from around here?” He asked after drinking his own shot.

“No.” She didn’t look at him to answer, her gaze dead set on the array of drinks behind the bar.

“Well then, what’s a pretty face like yours doing in these parts?” This made her turn to him, her eyes meeting his, before quickly breaking towards the empty glass she held.

“Does it matter?” she asked, looking at Elliott again. They held eye contact for what felt like centuries, but if he was being honest with himself, he would admit that he didn’t want to look away. Something about this girl was enthralling, and Elliott desperately needed a distraction.

“I guess not.” He smirked, “but maybe you and I could get out of here.” He extended his hand towards her.

“Name’s Mirage.” The girl quickly glanced down to his hand but kept her gaze on him. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, a loud bang erupted from another part of the room.

“You’ll pay for that!” a large man had his hand on the throat of a tall blue robot. He shoved the robot to the wall with a loud thud before turning and walking away, wiping the fresh stain off his shirt. If Elliott had to guess, the robot probably spilled a drink on the man and he majorly overreacted.

“That was weird,” Elliott chuckled, turning back towards the bar. When he looked to where the girl should have been, however, he found nothing but an empty barstool. He sighed to himself, chastising himself for getting his hopes up about taking a pretty girl like that back to his room. He looked at all the empty glasses in front of him and ordered another, deciding to go back to his initial distraction.

 

His head roared with pain as he walked towards the Apex compound, each pulse of his blood pounding in his brain. He had to meet his assigned teammates before noon, he had decided, but the throbbing pain in his forehead bitterly protested. He was being paired with a duo, going by the names of Wraith and Pathfinder. He had never heard of them, but he had been assured that they were of his skill level. He wandered his way to the section of the compound he was told to meet them in, only to stop in his tracks when he saw the girl and the robot from the night before seated in a large booth.

“Are you Mirage?” The robot asked, a smiling face appearing across the screen on his chest. The girl stared at Elliott before turning to the robot and nodding.

“Great! My name is Pathfinder, and this is Wraith. We are going to be your squad!” Pathfinder clapped his robotic hands and scooted over for Elliott to sit down in the booth. He nervously chuckled and looked back at the girl, whose name was apparently Wraith. She looked at him with those blue eyes for a few seconds before looking back towards her breakfast.

This was going to be one hell of a match.


	2. Apologies and Sparring

Elliott sat in the booth next to Pathfinder, across from Wraith, letting his head rest on his left palm while he nervously tapped his right fingers to the table. They discussed plans and made preparations for the games, knowing that their next week would be nothing but vigorous training. The Apex Games were a battle to the death, therefore there was a week of heavy conditioning and strategy creating before they actually dropped into the canyon. Elliott had been through this week before, but never before had he been in such an awkward teammate situation.

“Should you get breakfast?” asked Pathfinder, looking back and forth between the two humans who actually needed the food. 

“I could use a bite to eat.” Elliott looked to Pathfinder, then to Wraith. He caught her eyes, but held them only for a second before she switched her gaze to her hands in front of her. Was she staring at him? Surely, no. This girl was ice cold, and they had barely spoken the night before, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she was looking at him. Before he could really decide, however, Wraith stood up.

“Breakfast sounds good.” she began walking towards the dinning hall, which prompted Elliott to follow her. He needed to clear the air between them.

“Hey, uh, Wraith is it?” He caught up to her side, “Ya know when I said I wanted to ‘get out of there’ last night I didn’t mean like take you out or anything. I mean you’re a very pretty girl and all but I swear I can keep things professional and I had no idea you were going to be on my team and-”

Before Elliott could continue rambling, Wraith turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to close his mouth.

“Last night was last night. Forget about it and move on.” Elliott was getting lost in her blue eyes before he fully registered what she had said, but by then her hand was gone and she was turning away.

“Right. Right! It’s not like anything would have happened, anyway. Like I said, I didn’t actually mean take you out-” Wraith turned to him again and raised an eyebrow, “-well I mean I did but I don’t now because we’re teammates and we need to be professional.”

Wraith nodded and they walked in silence for the rest of the way, Elliott sneaking glances at her. Now that he was relatively sober and the room was well lit, he was able to get a good look at her. He scanned her up and down, fully taking in her beauty that he had seen the night before. He didn’t let himself linger much longer, mentally chastising any thoughts that were ‘non professional’. They reached the elevator and stepped into it, letting the silence hang in the air as they shifted down a few floors.

“If you want to be just teammates, then you shouldn’t stare at me like that.” Wraith turned to him, her stance being both cool and annoyed. Elliott blinked, unable to think of something to say. She was right, they needed to be teammates, and not… well not whatever they could have been last night. 

They were completely silent as they bought their food and brought it back to the booth where Pathfinder sat. Elliott made sure to look everywhere but Wraith, reminding himself that if they were going to survive the Apex Game, they needed to be nothing more than platonic partners.

Platonic. Complete and total friends. Not involved with each other at all.

Elliott repeated similar words to himself over and over again, hoping that if he said it enough he would be convinced it was true.

 

It was time to train. There was only a week before everyone dropped into the canyon, so their bodies needed to be in top shape, which meant no drinking or smoking or anything harmful. Elliott didn’t consider himself a drinker, but with his current situation he could sure use a shot or twelve.

Pathfinder didn’t need as much conditioning as he and Wraith did, mainly because he was, well, a robot. As for the other two, however, the only viable option was sparring. They were already in good shape, therefore they just needed to practice their abilities in a fight. Wraith found a private sparring room so they could fully try without showing off their trump cards to everyone else. Elliott was fine with it, understanding that there were obviously things that Wraith wanted to keep private.

The only problem was the broken air conditioner.

At first, neither of them noticed. The sparring was intense, and they were both focused on their training rather than the temperature of the room. However, as they fought, the room became stuffier and their sweat began dripping off their faces. Elliott was the first to say something.

“Is it hot in here or is it just me?” Wraith took it as an opportunity to go for a side kick, which he swiftly dodged. He stepped back, laughing a bit.

“You’re a feisty one.” He quipped, “but seriously, it’s really hot in here. You mind if I strip a bit?” Before Wraith could answer, Elliott pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side, raising his fists. Wraith visibly shifted, her eyes wandering up and down Elliott. 

They continued to spar, Elliott being in a much better state than before. He was landing more hits, and Wraith was missing more dodges. The heat was getting to her, he could tell.

“You want to move rooms?” He finally asked when he blocked her third punch in a row.

“This is fine.” Wraith quickly pulled off her shirt and threw it to the wall, exposing her toned stomach and black sports bra. Elliott blinked, averting his eyes from her body. Professional, platonic teammates. Professional. Teammates.

Their sparing became more intense, their bodies engaged in a dance of sweat and fear of coming across as weak. Each learned how the other ticked, making it harder and harder to land hits. Elliott got in a good kick, however, and the fighting ended with him pinning Wraith on the ground. He held her wrists above her head and put his knees on either side of her waist, almost straddling her. They stayed for a few seconds, each desperately trying to catch their breath but neither breaking eye contact.

“Well,” Elliott cleared his throat, “this is awkward.” 

Wraith smiled, then thrust her knee directly into his zone. He fell over, removing his hands from her wrists to hold himself. She stood and let her hair down, running her fingers through it.

“Don’t let your guard down.” She tied her hair back up into a clean bun and put her shirt back on before leaving the room.

After a couple of agonizing minutes, he collected himself and put his clothes back on, silently wondering if the red on her cheeks was really from the heat of the room.


	3. Late Nights

Elliott considered himself a tough guy. His Apex persona, Mirage, was the essence of confidence and suave, making girls swoon left and right. Elliott Witt was a lesser version of that, but still held the same principles; yet no matter how bold he acted on the outside, he had his demons. Nightmares were unavoidable.

It started at the beginning of the week but didn’t really affect him until the third night of endless night terrors. He woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and slowly touching his body to make sure it was still there. He sat up in his bed and stared at the wall in front of him, studying the painting of colorful shapes that hung there. He tried to understand it, and therefore distract himself, but all he could think about was how badly he wanted to drink. He knew he couldn’t, and that doing so would ruin all the training he had done, but he also couldn’t help thinking about it.

He sat there for what felt like ages until he finally decided to take a walk down around the compound. His living quarters were not too far from the common area, and he decided he had nothing better to do at 4 in the morning. He quietly closed his door into the hallway, trying not to wake anyone else on the floor. Only moments later, however, the door across from his swung open to show a tired and disheveled Wraith dressed in sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. They both stood completely still and stared at each other until Elliott made a nervous smile.

“Hey there,” he whispered, letting his voice trail off.

“Why are you awake?” she replied, not acknowledging his greeting.

“Why are YOU awake?” his smile turned into a smirk as he leaned closer to her, almost inviting her to challenge him. She blinked in response, then sighed.

“Doesn’t matter. Where are you going?” Elliott’s grin collapsed into a pinched line as he pondered telling her about his nightmares. The awkwardness between them has started to fade, but he knew that wasn’t an invite to spill his entire life story to her.

“I was just gonna go down to the commons, maybe grab a bite to eat?” his whispers were hushed, but he was still able to keep the bounce in his voice.

“Isn’t the cafeteria closed at this hour?” Wraith leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

“Who said I was going to the cafeteria?” Elliott’s smile widened, causing Wraith to raise an eyebrow. “There’s a lounge where all the investors hang out and it is packed full of booze and snacks.” To this, Wraith smiled. They stood in silence for a few seconds until Wraith nodded.

“Alrighty, then I’m coming with you.” She started walking down the hallway towards the commons, which caused Elliott to chuckle.

“Wait, seriously?” Wraith turned back to him with a smile that made him blink in confusion as to why his chest felt weird.

“You’re not the only one that drinks.” She continued down the hall, prompting Elliott to stumble after her. They walked in silence, yet it was different then the other silences they had shared; it was comfortable and didn’t feel as though something was hanging in the air. Elliott crept his way down the halls as though he were a secret agent, even holding a finger gun when checking around corners, while Wraith just watched him and occasionally laughed. They finally got to the investors suite and stared blankly at the padlocked door.

“How do we open this.” Elliott muttered. Wraith looked between him and the door a few times before sighing.

“I’ll make a portal, but I get first choice on everything.” Elliott smiled widely and put both thumbs up. Wraith took a deep breath held her hand out, creating a rift into the other side of the door. She blinked back the small pain it took to create the portal and stepped through.

Elliott had known the investors were spoiled rotten, but he would have never guessed it was to the extent presented before him: each table was fully stocked with foods from all over the world, and the right-side wall was covered in every drink imaginable. Elliott waited for Wraith to pick first, as he had promised, and saw her pick up a small plate from the buffet and begin filling it with all sorts of things.

“You pick drinks,” she turned back towards him, picking up a second plate, “I’ll get the food.” Elliott smiled and happily skipped to the wall of alcohol, taking in all the available drinks. His eyes landed on a bottle of Bombay, causing him to remember their first meeting. His oldest brother had always told him to share his favorite drink with a pretty girl, and if she liked it then he had a shot with her. His brothers always gave him advice on women and would always take their time to explain anything complex to him.

“Having a tough time?” Wraith was next to him now, holding two plates with mountains of food on them. Elliott shook his head, reminding himself that thinking about how his family used to be would only make him upset. Wraith handed him his plate and picked up the bottle of Bombay, looking back at him once she read the label.

“It’s my favorite,” he said, facing her and grinning slightly. Wraith looked at the bottle again, then back to him. “My brother used to say that you should share your favorite drink with someone special.”

“So, I’m someone special, then?” she stepped closer to him, almost challenging him to answer. He didn’t back down.

“Of course.” There were only a few inches between them, but it felt like miles. All Elliott wanted to do was pull her closer, but Wraith stepped back and went back through the portal, carrying the Bombay with her. He sighed and mentally beat himself for saying anything. They needed to be nothing more than teammates.

They sat down at a small booth in the commons, facing each other in a booth. They ate in silence, the occasional sentence or two being tossed between them. Wraith finally cracked open the bottle of Bombay and took a long swig, followed by Elliott doing the same.

“So,” Elliott wiped his mouth and looked at Wraith, “why were you awake?” Wraith shifted in her seat, noticeably uneasy. Elliott regretted asking, but before he could apologize Wraith locked eyes with him.

“Nightmares.” She folded her hands in front of her on the table, “You?”

“Nightmares.” Elliott took another sip of the drink and passed it to Wraith. They sat in more silence but were somewhat comforted by the fact that they weren’t alone in their restlessness.

“Mirage,” Wraith broke the quiet, “I have a question.”

“Ask away.” He took a long drink of the Bombay but kept eye contact.

“What’s your name?”

“Elliott. Elliott Witt.” He didn’t hesitate to answer. She sat, leaning across the table.

“Elliott, huh.” the sound of his name on her lips made him feel warm.

“What’s yours?” he asked. She looked at him with an unreadable expression, but never broke her gaze.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Elliott leaned forward.

“I don’t know much about myself,” she was closer, so close that he could really study her beauty.

“Well what do you know?” Their eyes were locked and there was stillness between them. Elliott could see the distress in her eyes, and the uncertainty of her thoughts. He regretted asking anything; obviously she didn’t want to talk about it.

“I- “

“Hey! Where did you guys get that stuff?” A staff member appeared, returning from the graveyard shift. Wraith acted quickly and grabbed Elliott’s hand to run. They scampered off, twisting corners and laughing along the way. They finally lost the staff and crept back to their rooms, saying they would see each other in a few hours.

Elliott closed the door and held the hand that Wraith had grabbed. He had felt her hands before, specifically in fist form, but never had he felt the softness of her skin. Or had he noticed the blue twinkle in her eyes when she laughed. Or the way her smile shined brighter than anything he had ever seen. Or…

Fuck.


	4. A Sunset and a Sunrise

The cafeteria was packed, everyone trying desperately to fill themselves with good and healthy food so that they would be in top shape for the games tomorrow. Elliott wanted nothing more than to finish the week and get into the Apex Games, hoping that he could either win millions of dollars or die in style.

“Hello, friend!” called Pathfinder, who was suddenly standing next to him.

“Hey, Path. You seen Wraith?” Elliott turned around to meet his robotic friend. The two had become very close over the course of the week, Pathfinder being a huge help in Elliott’s training; he had been showing him how to properly aim while on a zipline, as well as use guns like the Spitfire and the HAVOC. He appreciated Pathfinder, and hoped that he felt the same about him.

“I have not. She is probably on the roof.” Elliott nodded, grabbing a second tray. Since the first night of the training week, Wraith had been spending her dinner time on the roof of the compound. Usually they left her alone, but it was the last meal before the Games and Elliott thought he should bring her food. He filled the tray with her favorite foods, which he had learned through trial and error, and turned to Pathfinder.

“You wanna join?” Elliott asked. Pathfinder shook his head, but offered to help carry the trays. They trudged up the three flights of stairs until they reached the roof deck. 

“Mirage-” Pathfinder started, as he passed the tray to him.

“You can call me Elliott, we’re all friends here.” Pathfinder’s screen showed a happy face emote. 

“Ok! Elliot,” Pathfinder put a hand on his shoulder, “take good care of her, ok? She and I have been partners for a long time, and it would be a shame for you if something were to happen to her.”

Elliott laughed at first, but by the time he comprehended the “for you” part of the statement Pathfinder was already walking down the stairs. He blinked for a moment in confusion before opening the door to the deck.

The wind outside was brisk, but nothing Elliott couldn’t manage. The rooftop looked over the city below, the night sky being illuminated by the heavy street lights and filled with the sounds of honking cars and voices fading in and out of earshot. Through the buildings that seemed to tower through the clouds, the setting sun was clearly displayed along the horizon. The deck itself was small and heavily gated to prevent people from jumping; the Apex directors didn’t want any of the contestant’s deaths to be un-televised. 

Wraith sat on the ground right next to the fencing with her knees to her chest. She had her eyes to the horizon, yet she waved to Elliott before the door shut.

“How did you-?” 

“The voices.” Elliott lifted his chin in understanding, having remembered the whispers Wraith explain she had that warned her of basically everything. He sat down next to her,   
placing the trays on the ground in front of them.

“Bone app the teeth.” Elliott made a motion towards the slop on the plates, causing Wraith to let out a small laugh.

“I don’t think that’s the phrase.” She had a smile on her face, Elliott soon matching her.

“Boney African feet?” To this Wraith playfully punched him, which only encouraged him to start listing bad variations of the French phrase ‘bon appétit’. They shared a good laugh before eating in the comfortable silence they had grown accustomed to. Elliott watched the sunset in awe as he shovelled down mashed potatoes and peas, quietly understanding why Wraith would skip dinner for something like this.They finished their food and pushed the trays aside, sitting next to each other as they looked over the horizon.

“I don’t know much about myself,” Wraith broke the silence, “but I do know one thing.”

She turned to Elliott, her blue eyes gently gazing at him. He suddenly became nervous, for reasons he had no idea about.

“I’m glad I met you.” To this, Elliott smiled.

“Even though I hit on you when we met?” Wraith turned away, looking back at the sunset.

“Yeah.” 

Elliott blinked, trying to understand the feeling in his chest. He had been with plenty of girls and guys before, but this girl made him feel something entirely different. He mentally smacked himself. They were teammates, nothing more. 

“Well,” he finally spoke, “I’m glad I met you too.” She smiled, her eyes still on the sunset. He couldn’t help but notice the way the light hit her, making her whole body almost glow.   
They sat in silence for a few more moments, both looking at the array of colors that covered the sky.

 

Elliott’s alarm clock sang it's’ horrific song before the sun had even risen. It to belt out its’ final note before being cut off by Elliott slamming his fist on the damn thing. He shuffled in his bed, finally sitting up and running his hand through his hair, then letting them fall down his face to his lap. It was the day of the Apex games. It was finally here, and Elliott wasn’t exactly jumping for joy. He knew what the games actually entailed, besides the possibility of wealth, and he had been mentally preparing himself for this morning since he signed up. 

“Time for chaos.” He mumbled to himself.

Little did he know how right he would be.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! My tumblr is 'alinaskeys' if you want to contact me or see updates.


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